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I am running ahead of myself quite a bit here as I have only been playing concertina for one week (and I use the word 'playing' in its most liberal sense) but it is always good to dream...

I bought a Scarlatti 30 button Anglo as it was affordable but I am now saving hard for a future purchase.

From what I can gather, there seems to be very little in between the cheap end of the market and the very expensive second hand concertinas. I have seen on Hobgoblin's site the Sherwood concertinas for around a grand.

What do people advise as the next step to getting a 'good' concertina?

If this has been covered in other posts I do apologise - please direct me to them and I shall have a read.

Thanks folks.

 

Queen Lud

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Try before you buy. Play as many as you can. I have found that most concertina players are so proud of their instruments they will be keen to show anyone who shows a genuine interest. Your next concertina will be your "voice" for a long time to come. You must enjoy picking it up, and not want to put it down.

 

There is a "sticky" thread at the top of the forum with a list of current manufacturers. Do some on line browsing, form some provisional ideas, then ask some more specific questions.

 

It is in the nature of these things that everyone will try to persuade you to get one the same as theirs. Don't listen to them; get a Marcus like mine instead. ;0)

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What do people advise as the next step to getting a 'good' concertina?

 

Good to hear that you're already planning for the future! I upgraded from my cheap started instrument (Rochelle) to something more proper (Lachenal) after a few months, which I did just recently. There's a lot to choose from, and if you are in the same position as me where you have extremly limited possibility to try different instruments out, it's hard to know in forehand what's "right" for you.

 

It seems like you can't go wrong if you go for any of the modern hybrid makers. As already pointed out, you can find them listed in a sticky-post. There are some differences that you might want to take into consideration, but all in all they all seem to be high quality instruments. I myself wanted the sound of vintage concertina reeds and went for a used Lachenal, and I don't regret it one bit. I asked in a thread (a couple of pages back probably) for people's opinions and experiences with vintage vs. new concertinas, and people were very generous with sharing their advice. If you're into vintage instruments, that is.

 

The Sherwood looked appealing to me too, as it seems to be the cheapest one (in that class) available. Doesn't seem to be many people here who have much to say about it though. If you use the search function on the forum, you can find a review on it.

 

Best of luck, let us know how it goes!

 

Edit: Oh, and again - it's really good that you already plan for the future. If you do your research at an early stage, you can start monitoring all sorts of sites and see when a bargain comes along. If you take your time, you'll find a really good price for an instrument that'll most likely suit you well.

Edited by Gusten
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Thank you.

 

I too have limited possibility of trying different concertinas but I have had a look at the list in the sticky-post and it has given me a few ideas (not least how much I need to save up). I will keep monitoring sites as suggested.

 

I am quite surprised how much, and how quickly, I am enjoying playing the concertina and I am sure I will stick with it.

 

Thanks again for the replies.

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I am quite surprised how much, and how quickly, I am enjoying playing the concertina and I am sure I will stick with it.

I was surprised too...as I don't really like music or practicing. lol!

 

I've ordered a Tedrow concertina.....and the waiting for a new concertina I find excruciatingly painful as I'm so used to buying stuff and getting it arrive almost the next day. Its very hard to resist sending a email every day saying 'is it ready yet?'. :blink:

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I am quite surprised how much, and how quickly, I am enjoying playing the concertina and I am sure I will stick with it.

I was surprised too...as I don't really like music or practicing. lol!

 

I've ordered a Tedrow concertina.....and the waiting for a new concertina I find excruciatingly painful as I'm so used to buying stuff and getting it arrive almost the next day. Its very hard to resist sending a email every day saying 'is it ready yet?'. :blink:

 

 

Oh wow, thats great news. It will make a huge differnce. Have you played a Tedrow? I went from a Stagi to a Morse English...It was like playing a cloud. My fingers dont hurt anymore, no mater how much I play.

 

FJB

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Oh wow, thats great news. It will make a huge differnce. Have you played a Tedrow?

Nope only ever played my scarlatti...(well except I got to have a go on steve's concertina -don't know what make that was- and I was so scared of braking it I only held it for a minute or so before I gave it back. lol!). Looking at the concertina's available in my price range I liked Bob's concertina's best. :)

 

I went from a Stagi to a Morse English...It was like playing a cloud. My fingers dont hurt anymore, no mater how much I play.

It my back and shoulders rather than my fingers that hurt if I practice more than and hour at a time. :(

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I had a Rochelle for a few days and then my Morse from MOR turned up. The difference is incredible. The whole feel, responsiveness, weight and build is leagues above the Rochelle. Of course so is the price :-( However as a newbie myself, I'd advise you to upgrade as soon as you can. I am soooo glad I didn't spend many months playing the Rochelle. I think I may have been disillusioned about my abilities and given up. If you really can't raid the bank and you get despondent about your playing - cheer up and keep saving. When you do upgrade you'll find things that were incredibly difficult are much easier to do.

 

PS - As your question was advice on which concertina to upgrade to, I can't offer much in that department. I've played the Rochelle, the Morse and the wife's Suttner. They get better in that order :-) The two complaints I have about the Morse are that it's VERY loud and that I find the buttons slippery. It isn't harsh (as I've read in a couple of reviews on the net). But it is loud.

Edited by Mayofiddler
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The two complaints I have about the Morse are that it's VERY loud and that I find the buttons slippery. It isn't harsh (as I've read in a couple of reviews on the net). But it is loud.

 

I made wooden baffels for my Morse English. I like the sound better now, quieter and more mellow. It was a lot of work to get the thin boards installed...so they can be removed at anytime, but I wont take them out. I like them.

 

Fjb

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PS - As your question was advice on which concertina to upgrade to, I can't offer much in that department. I've played the Rochelle, the Morse and the wife's Suttner. They get better in that order :-) The two complaints I have about the Morse are that it's VERY loud and that I find the buttons slippery. It isn't harsh (as I've read in a couple of reviews on the net). But it is loud.

 

 

I have a Morse G/D, and would agree that it can be loud (one of the reasons I bought it- to be heard when playing for dancers), but I've been delighted to find that it can be played quietly as well. This is different than my Rochelle, which is pretty much "on" or "off".

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Lots of good advice here. Thanks.

 

I have started looking at the sites on the sticky-post and have a few ideas, largely based on price at the moment. Going by price the Marcus looks in my range (thanks for the tip Mikefule!).

 

How would I go about hearing the various types of concertina? How did you all decide which one/s you play?

 

With little opportunity to hear/play various concertinas, how much can be ascertained from descriptions or the look of the instrument?

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I've ordered a Tedrow concertina.....and the waiting for a new concertina I find excruciatingly painful as I'm so used to buying stuff and getting it arrive almost the next day. Its very hard to resist sending a email every day saying 'is it ready yet?'. :blink:

 

You'll love it. I certainly understand the temptation you're resisting. I think I managed to limit my phone calls, to what was it Bob, every other day?

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I've ordered a Tedrow concertina.....and the waiting for a new concertina I find excruciatingly painful as I'm so used to buying stuff and getting it arrive almost the next day. Its very hard to resist sending a email every day saying 'is it ready yet?'. :blink:

 

You'll love it. I certainly understand the temptation you're resisting. I think I managed to limit my phone calls, to what was it Bob, every other day?

 

I also understand... My beloved Wheatstone is at Dipper's for renovation since november.

I've been able to control myself enough to call them only every 15 days.

Last week Colin told me the work was almost finished, and promised me it will be

"pretty much like Wheatstone had wanted it, maybe a little bit better".

I wonder if I'll be able to sleep untill I get it back...

 

David

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I've ordered a Tedrow concertina.....and the waiting for a new concertina I find excruciatingly painful as I'm so used to buying stuff and getting it arrive almost the next day. Its very hard to resist sending a email every day saying 'is it ready yet?'. :blink:

 

You'll love it. I certainly understand the temptation you're resisting. I think I managed to limit my phone calls, to what was it Bob, every other day?

At least the price of long distance phonecalls and time difference (and phobia of phones..yes really) prevents the calling every 15 days. I've been good and haven't emailed since January 15th. :blink: Time for another email soon I think. lol! :lol:

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  • 1 month later...
I have a Morse G/D, and would agree that it can be loud (one of the reasons I bought it- to be heard when playing for dancers), but I've been delighted to find that it can be played quietly as well. This is different than my Rochelle, which is pretty much "on" or "off".

 

 

Today I placed my order for a Marcus C/G Anglo. It'll be ready in 4 months' time. Roll on August...

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